A RESIDENTS' group in Burtonwood is considering direct protest action over what it sees as a lack of co-operation from Ministry of Defence officials over the Chapelford urban village development.

Washington Drive Residents' Association was formed to put forward the comments and concerns of residents through meetings with the developers, the MoD and members of the borough council.

Among the issues raised by the group are dispensing with a planned mixed-use' zone at the junction of Boston Boulevard and Washington Drive, and ensuring traffic safety.

Outline planning approval has already been given for the village, which will be developed on the former RAF Burtonwood airbase.

But relations between the group and the developers appear to have taken a turn for the worse - and now there is talk of direct action being taken to get the group's point across.

Brian Sheerin, spokesman for the group, said: "Despite following advice and working through our local councillors, we have made little progress with the MoD, which has put up brick wall after brick wall in the way of our attempts to reach an amicable solution.

"We have only asked for small, reasonable changes to the development but these requests have fallen on deaf ears. We will now be recommending to our 260 members that more direct action is needed, including protests at current and planned developments.

"We will recommend that the members look to bring as much disruption to the developers and house builders as possible and if necessary will even picket sites and show houses.

"Residents are deeply angered by the lack of consultation and the way in which, having finally been given an opportunity to express their reservations, they are now being ignored."

A spokesman for the MoD said that it had held a number of meetings with the committee and had recently tried to address the four main issues through correspondence with the borough council.

She added: "We have consulted widely ever since the outline planning application was made and the leafleting did include the Washington Drive area.

"I am very happy to meet the committee any time and have done so in the past. There seems to be a premature over-reaction because the detailed application is still a long way from being submitted."